Andover Couple Turns Home Into Craft Shop

Folk Lore

William Goss is puzzled by some of the traffic that passes his house in Andover.

Drivers occasionally slow down, appear to consider whether to pull into his driveway, but then move on.

``Come on in,'' Goss says to the departing cars.

He and his wife, Roberta``Bobbie'' Goss,have written the name of their shop, the Crafter Niche, on the side of the house and over the door, and have stuck a red, white and blue ``open'' banner in the front yard, but

passersby still hesitate.

You can't really blame the drivers for being confused -- the shop is attached to the Goss's home on Lake Road, a residential street that runs around Andover Lake. Not a very likely place to find a retail establishment.

But the adventurous shopper will find a trove of handmade items inside.

Bill does the woodworking and Bobbie designs, paints and decorates. Along with tchotchkes produced by the pair, the shop also features felt elf dolls by Dawn Sutherland and small quilted itemsby Tina Schultz, both friends of the Gosses. Because Bobbie Goss loves Christmas, Bill recently turned an ell of the shop into a year-round holiday corner.

I'm not much of a craft person, probably because there is just too much tacky, too-cutesy craft work around, but the Gosses' merchandise is well executed. Bill turns old window frames into handsome wall mirrors and shadow boxes. Bobbie does a deft job with the painting -- the faces on the figural items are neat and attractive.

``I get ideas from magazines, books and from things I see at [craft] shows. Then I improvise and come up with my own creations,'' she said.

Bobbie Goss had been the only crafter in the family for years. As a matter of fact, her husband had always given her a hard time about the knickknacks she spent so much time on, Bill admitted.

``I'd say to her, `You and those damn crafts,' '' he said, shaking his head.

But seven years ago he lost his job when his employer died. After 33 years as a heavy equipment operator for a Hebron construction company, he was unable to find another job in the midst of the recession. The hobby that he had previously scorned became a way for Bill to feel useful. Soon, they became B 'n B Enterprises and Bill was joining Bobbie at craft shows. After one particularly disappointing show (they only netted $15 in profit after paying the booth rental), the Gosses decided to concentrate on the shop.

At first the town wouldn't permit the retail business in the residential neighborhood, but the shop has been legal for more than a year.

Word of the shop's location is spreading slowly from person to person, and people who stop by often come again, Bobbie Goss said. But building their customer base is a slow process that sometimes frustrates the couple -- and causes Bill to call out to those hesitant drivers, ``Come on in.''

To get directions to the Crafter Niche, call the Gosses at (860) 742- 5679.

*

This summer I saw a hummingbird and a bumblebee having a jousting match in midair. It looked though the bee were trying to keep the hummingbird from getting by. I thought about how little I know about the tiny birds -- is there competition for flower nectar between hummingbirds and other creatures?

Robert Colwell may provide the answers next Sunday at 3 p.m. in a lecture sponsored by the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History in Storrs.

Colwell, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut, will show rare slow-motion and microscopic videos and slides of hummingbirds, tropical flowers and the nectar-eating mites that hitch rides on the birds.

Colwell will speak in Room 154 of the Torrey Life Sciences Building at 75 N. Eagleville Road. The event is free. For more information, call the museum at (860) 486-4460.